As Hudson’s Essex brand began to lose luster, Hudson decided to augment that line by introducing the 1932 Essex Terraplane. By 1934 the car was simply known as the Terraplane, so long Essex.

Although the ‘36 Terraplane looks similar to big brother Hudsons, it was designed to be smaller and lighter. In 1933 the Terraplane was offered with an optional 8 cylinder, 244 cu in engine with a downdraft carb. The Terraplane engine was ten cubic inches smaller than the Hudson 254 cu in unit, but shared the Hudson’s crank and con rods. The Hudson had a bigger bore. As such, the 1933 Terraplanes were said to have the highest power-to-weight ration of any production car in the world. Sporty stuff.

1933 was the only year the 8 cyl engine was available in the Terraplane. No great loss, the ‘36 Terraplane was outfitted with a 212 cu in, 88 horsepower six, nearly identical to the Hudson 212 cube six that came in two flavors, 93 and 100 hp. The Hudson rode on a 120” wb and weighed 2880 lbs. The Terraplane had a sportier 115” wheelbase and weighed 2865 lbs.

Even by 1936, when one would have thought that the rest of the automotive community, especially Chrysler, would have picked up on Hudson’s ability to balance its engines’ reciprocating assemblies better than anyone else. Hudsons were known for their hill climbing ability, and due to their internal balance, the ability (some say) to rev far higher than competitive brands.

The Terraplanes were also doing well in the dealer showrooms, outselling Hudson 86,791 to 26,356 in ‘36. But the Terraplane kept growing so that it was barely distinguishable from the Hudsons, so after 1937, there were no more Terraplanes, just Hudson.

33 Comments

My great uncle Donald, who later owned my ’63 Ford, had a Terraplane convertible in his younger days. For whatever reason, he was constantly repainting it (using house paint) to impress the girls in town. Family lore has it his record was three times in one day.

These are very impressive cars. I remember seeing an ad from long ago with Amelia Earhart touting the features of them.

The little known Gateway Car Museum (tucked in a little resort village south 30 miles from Grand Junction, Colo.,) is something to see if your near, or want to visit Moab, Utah’s red rock National Parks. This is where I saw my first Hudson Terraplane. Click this link to see this little jewel. You could easily do a story at this site, on this somewhat obscure museum?

And I feel so lonesome
You hear me when I moan
When I feel so lonesome
You hear me when I moan
Who been drivin’ my Terraplane
For you since I been gone?
…..
I’m gon’ get down in this connection
Keep on tanglin’ with your wires
I’m gon’ get down in this connection
Oh well, keep on tanglin’ with these wires
And when I mash down on your little starter
Then your spark plug will give me fire

Aha !!! I knew that the Great Robert was not praising his ride…or did he ?

If you want to have a good laugh listen to Bo Carter, I’m sure you know him. Mr. Carter didn’t need a car model, he just sang “Banana in your fruit basket” and “Warm my weiner”…. I adore those vintage blues guys, I can tell you that.

“I’ve always been intrigued by Hudson; it seems as though it was a “near luxury make,” long before that term existed.”

Could it be that the Hudson’s position was based on a reputation for quality and reliability and not necessarily luxury? I was at Australia’s National Motor Museum on the weekend and the info boards for the Hudsons on display noted that they were popular for use as “service cars” ie mail, goods and passenger carriage in country areas effectively replacing horse-drawn coaches.

This story hints at where Hudson arguably killed its viability. The Essex was once a good-selling low-priced car, so it seems odd that Hudson would ditch all that brand equity. Then they discontinued the Terraplane after only a few years in favor of a bigger, more upscale Hudson line.

Hudson went in the opposite direction from Studebaker and Nash, both of whom offered light-weight competitors to the low-priced Big Three in the run-up to WWII (the Champion and 600).

Then Hudson sealed its fate with the innovative but ridiculously heavy step-downs. They just didn’t lend themselves to going down market, yet that may have been necessary for Hudson’s survival (particularly without a V8).

Yet another forgotten car. I am convinced that if some of these cars such as the Terraplane, Cord 810/812, Chrysler Airflow etc had been released in the 1920’s or the Great depression had not happened then we might have seen some of the innovations they pioneered(hidden headlights and front wheel drive(on the Cord) and aerodynamics(Airflow) and excellent power to weight ratio and handling(Terraplane) accepted much sooner then they did gain acceptance.

Thank you for the listing, this is a car that is all too often forgotten and gets nowhere near the appreciation that it deserves. As well as putting paid to the idea that the Ford V-8 was THE hot car of the day. It wasn’t. The Terraplane would leave it for dead in most situations. Unfortunately, they weren’t as prevalent as used cars in the decade or so following, and had a short production life so hot rodders never took to them.

Ever get the feeling that Hudson wasn’t really comfortable doing to low priced car, no matter how necessary it was to the bottom line? I’ve always had the feeling that the Essex and Terraplane weren’t really the image that Hudson wanted to project.

Growing up in Lowell, MA, there were a number of cars parked on our street that caught my attention. One was a black 1936 Ford 3-Window coupe. In 1956 it still looked new. Another was a similarly black Terraplane, also a ’36. I remember my father remarking that in its day, the Terraplane was considered to be a sports car. This amazed me. My friend Bobby O’Leary’s older brother had an MG-TD. I knew the MG was a sports car and had trouble seeing this huge Terraplane in the same light. The other car was a 1955 Ford station wagon with duals, pretty trick for its day, that towed a quarter midget. I wondered why the guy ran bald tires on the back.

If this Terraplane hood ornament doesn’t send you running and screaming back to your Freudian therapist, there might be something wrong with your vision.

A friend of mine bought one of these coupes as a basket case back in the early 80’s. It was a rather interesting choice of project for a guy in his early 20’s. I think originally he wanted to hot rod it, but after doing some research on the car he decided on a restoration instead. Considering the age of the restorer and the age of the car (and the relative scarcity of parts for it), it was a rather ambitious goal.

But like so many other projects, it got delayed and postponed. I lost contact with him when I moved to Cleveland, but at some point I’d heard he sold the Terraplane, no more rebuilt or restored than when he got it several years before.

This is one of the very first cars I can remember. My grandfather had a ’37 Terraplane he kept, I guess, until his passing in 1947. He and my grandmother owned a jewelry store in a small town and he always had his parked in a U-shaped alley behind the store.

It’s funny that you should include a post card from Miller Motors! Miller Motors is the last Hudson dealer left, and is now a museum here in my hometown of Ypsilanti (The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum). They have a number of Terraplanes sitting inside, as well as lots of beautiful Hudsons, including THE “Fabulous Hudson Hornet” race car!

If any of you should find your way into this part of the country, look me up and I’ll gladly go with you on a tour of the place!

Thanks for mentioning Terraplane. I hobby-drive an original ’34 Terraplane convertible coupe and enjoy it greatly. Did a movie short in San Antonio with the Terraplane on the life of blues singer Robert Johnson last February.

I recently brought a 1934 Hudson Terraplane Convertable in New Zealand, which is currently in the process of a ground up restoration. I am planning to use the car for the 2016 Peking to Paris endurance rally. I think this will be the perfect car for the 8,000 mile rally, at least it will look good.